Signaling device



H. M. WILLIAMS.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19' I919.

1,376,127, I Patented A r. 26,1921.

;a citizen of the United States,

on ran stares rarest c rrier... W

HARRY M; W' LLLIAMS, F LITTLE JGHN E. GOATES,

noon, annansas, assienou or ONE-HALF To or LITTLE noon, ARKANSAS.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

T 0 all whom it may concern: s j 1 Be it known that I, HA RY M. WILLIAMS, Little Rock, county of Pulaski, and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Devices, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to signaling devices,

5 i and particularly to a holder for signal flags.

, protect The object of my invention is to provide in a signaling device means for supporting a signal flag while displaying and which will the same from. becoming soiled or injured by the weather when furled.

lVhile my invention may be used for various signaling devices and purposes, it is pa'rj ticularly adapted for use in con unction with railway roll ng stock for displaying and protecting the classification flags such as displayed on the locomotive and at the rear end of the train.

device of the class mentioned provide a device of the character mentioned which shall be of low cost to manufacture and which will not readily get out of order. A further object of my invention is toprovide a device of the character mentioned adapted to hold a plurality of signaling flags and equipped with means to prevent unrolling of the flag or flags within the container. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects in view, my invention consists generally of a tubular body provided with a longitudinal slot extending substantially the full length thereof, a closure for the upper end of said container, a fiag staff on the inner end of said closure, and means for supporting the device in position. My invention further consists in providing a plurality of tubular containers, one of which is provided with the longitudinal slot above mentioned in combination with interchangeable closures for the upper ends of said containers, and flag staffs on said closures, whereby each of said fiag staffs may be equipped with a flag of a difierent color and the flag of the desired color arranged within the container having the longitudinal slot to permit the flag being extended through said slot for display. My

Specification of Letters Patent. I

residing at To this end, a further object of my invention is to provide a sig-. naling I equipped with means for supporting the,

in vention further consists in various, details or construction and arrangements of parts Figure 1 is a front elevation of asignaling device embodying my invention in its preferred form.

, F ig. 2 is a S1Cl6 elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 1s a vertical section through the device showing a slightly modified form of;

supporting means.

lan view. a

Fig. 4: is a top p Fig. 5 is a transverse SGGtlOIL on theline 5-5 of Fig. 1. i Q

Fig. 6 is a plan view with the closures and staffsremoved. a

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the upper end of the slotted container, illustrated upon an enlarged scalea I Fig. 8 is a' detail sectional view of the upper end of one of the containers, upon an enlarged scale, i in position thereon, and Fig. 9 is a topplan form of the device with the closures removed.

ngs containers the lower ends of which are secured in any suitable manner, as by soldering, to a base 3. The upper ends of the containers are secured together by a band 4. the containers 1 and 2 may be formed of sheet metal, of old pieces "of pipe, or any suitable tubular material, so'that the actual cost of the device may be reduced to a, minimum. The container 1 is formed with a longitudinal slot 5 extending substantially throughout the length thereof and this is preferably positioned on the side of the container opposite the container 2. Each of the containers is provided with a closure 6. This comprises a plug portion 7 adapted to fit within the upper end of the container, an annular flange 8 adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the container and extend slightly beyond the periphery thereof, and a head 9 constituting a handle to facilitate manipulating the device. The flanges 8, by projecting beyond the periphery of the containers, eifectually exclude the weather 7 latented Apr. 26, 1921. Application filed June 19, 1919. Serial No. 305,291. 7

accompanying" and illustrating the closure view of a modified Referring now to Figs. l-to 6 oflthedraw- 1 and 2 indicate a pair of tubular from entering the upper ends thereof and limit the inward movement of the closure.

. departing from my Extending inwardly from the plug 7 is a flag staff 10 to which is secured the signal flag 11, each flag being of a different color.

being obvious'that the number may be increased within reason to any number desired or found necessary for the particular purpose for which the device is to be employed. Suitable means are provided for supporting the device in position. This is preferably a depending pin 12 on the base plate 3, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. However, the base plate 3 and the supporting device may be formed of a single piece of strap iron bentto form the base portion 3 and the depending supporting portion 13, as shown in'Fig. 3.

In using the device, when no flags are to p be displayed, the flags are furled upon their respective stafl s and inserted within the several containers. When it is desired to display a flag, theflag of the suitable color is selected and placed within the container 1, projecting through the slot 3 as indicated in Fig. 5. To facilitate inserting the unfurled flag within the container 1, the upper end of the slot 5 is flared, as indicated at 14 in Fig. 7, and the adjacent ends of the band 4 are bent backwardly forming rounded beads 15, thereby forming a comparatively large mouth at the upper end of the slot. It is obvious that with this construcinvention, and in ig. 9 I have illustrated three such conta ners, it

. tion the flag may be readily and quicklyinserted without injury to the same.

Preferably, I provide means to prevent rotation of the flag stafls within the containers to avoid unfurling or unwrapping of the flags therein. To this end the adjacent sides of the flanges 8 of the several closures are flattened, asat 16, (see Fig. 1) to fit against each other and thereby prevent said rotation.

I claim V 1. A signaling device comprising a plurality of tubular ends of said containers, and a band con'-' necting the upper ends of said containers, substantially'as described.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1, in which the upper end of said slot is outwardly flared and the ends of said band being bent backwardly forming beads at each side of the end of said slot, substantiallyas described.

device as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by flattened faces on the adjacent sides of said closures cooperating to prevent rotation thereof, substantially as described. r I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

V HARRY M. W LLIAMs. Witnesses: i

W; S. LEAKE,

T. O. HowLAND. 

